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How subjective perceptions shape aggression between great powers

Tower Center Associate Peter H. Gries authored a report in collaboration with five other experts published on Frontiers in Psychology called “War or Peace? How the Subjective Perception of Great Power Interdependence Shapes Preemptive Defensive Aggression.”

Gries et al. look at how depictions of relations between great powers as competitive, such as relations between the U.S. and China, increase the likelihood of a country to take preemptive actions in defense.

“Spread through the mass media, such pessimistic depictions of great power relations today create a psychological context that undermines international cooperation,” Gries wrote in the introduction.